Latino/a/x Dance Festival Highlights the Power of Performance and Identity

Things take a political tone when Gabriel Mata appears at the 5th Annual Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival this weekend. Mata, an openly gay man, premieres “Con Angel,” a duet conceived with Angel Ramirez, as a solo. The title means With Angel in Spanish. 

Both Mata and the queer Ramirez (he/them) are based in Washington, D.C., but Ramirez, who is originally from El Salvador, was unwilling to risk traveling to Texas for the festival because of irregularities in their immigrant status. 

“They wanted to come,” says Mata, “but getting on a plane, coming to Texas, would be risky for them, especially now with the political climate. They want to do the work but can’t physically be there.” 

Mata says Ramirez’s absence during the performance symbolizes the erasure experienced by undocumented immigrants. It represents those lost, deported, or forced into silence and invisibility.

“This is a duet, but here it can only be performed as a solo,” Mata explains. “That gives a different meaning to the work. In these times, even art is impacted by the politics of the country.” 

“Con Angel” is performed in three sections. The choreography is paired with voiceovers and projections.

“I break the fourth wall and talk to the audience,” says Mata. “The piece ends with a letter to Angel, talking about how I felt when I was in his situation. But it’s different. Now, in these times, it feels much more exhausting, more demoralizing. It’s more heartbreaking. . . .I do feel for Angel. I grew up as an undocumented immigrant and only recently became a U.S. citizen. I know I didn’t feel safe until I had the document in my hands.” 

Jaruam Xavier, originally from Brazil and now based in Pennsylvania, is also slated to perform at the festival. “[This] dance festival is a political act,” says Xavier. “You’re going to see minority people on stage and hear minority voices. Right now, that’s priceless.”

“Festivals are so important to the arts,” Mata adds. “It allows for outside voices to be heard. The world that I live in in D.C. is very particular. I’m excited to interact with other Latinx artists and see how they’re navigating the current [scene].” 

Xavier, an assistant professor at Bucknell University, performs “Ori.” (The word means head in Yoruba.) The movement is inspired by the African-Brazilian religion Candomblé and includes movement from Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial arts practice. 

International performers for the festival include Ana Paula Ornelas from Hermosillo, Mexico; Kenia Noriega from Mexico City; and Josuee Castro from Guatemala City, Guatemala. 

U.S.-based performers include M. Gabriela Estrada, an assistant professor at the University of Houston, and Elisa De La Rosa, an assistant professor at Texas Woman’s University, and Adam Castaneda, festival director and director of The Pilot Dance Project.

WHAT: 5th Annual Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival 
WHERE: MATCH Houston, 3400 Main St.
WHEN: 8 p.m. April 18 and 19, 2025
INFO: 713-521-4533 or visit matchouston.org.